Hindu groups continue attacks on Christians in Karnataka

Over the last two months, prayer meetings of ecclesial communities have been targeted in many districts of the state, pastors beaten and Christians arrested.

India

October 07 2013, 5:16 PM

There has been a surge in anti-Christian attacks in Karnataka state, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India, an umbrella organisation of evangelical Christian communities.

Over the last two months, prayer meetings of ecclesial communities have been targeted in many districts of the state, pastors beaten and Christians arrested.

In a recent incident, Hindu fundamentalists attacked and looted a Church in Mandya district in Karnataka on September 28. 32-year-old Pastor Ramesh Salomon was attacked while he was praying in church with his community. About 20 Hindu radicals suddenly attacked the church, threatened the community and destroyed everything in the church. Salomon has led a community of 150 believers for eight years and visited about 60 villages in the district.

Also on September 28, the home of Pastor Aneef, 34, was set on fire at night by Hindu extremists, who questioned the use of a house for Christian prayer. The Pastor and his family had a miraculous escape.

The next day, Pastor Hemachandra Hebal, 39, was attacked by Hindu radicals while he was celebrating liturgy. The attackers pushed him and the faithful outside the church and beat them up, accusing them of ‘forced conversions’. The police later arrested the Pastor and his wife and forced them to sign a declaration that they would stop preaching the Christian faith.

Several cases of anti-Christian violence in Karnataka were reported in early September also. However, the faithful trust that there would be a change in the situation under the new state government formed by secular Congress party.